Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and the Federal Inland Revenue Service, FIRS, clashed over the appointment of Xpress Payments Solutions Limited as the new Treasury Single Account collection agency.
Recall that the former president had urged the Federal Government to suspend the engagement until the procedure leading up to the firm’s appointment was made public.
In a statement, Atiku branded the appointment as a “dangerous resurrection” of the Alpha Beta revenue cartel, which he claimed held sway under Bola Tinubu’s term as governor of Lagos State.
He said that the usage of Alpha Beta as a revenue collector for Lagos State resulted in a system that directed public revenues to private accounts at the expense of the people.
The statement read in part, “The quiet appointment of Xpress Payments Solutions Limited as a new TSA collecting agent is not an administrative decision; it is a dangerous resurrection of the Alpha Beta revenue cartel that dominated Lagos State during and after the Tinubu years.
“That model created a private toll gate around public revenue and funnelled state funds into the hands of a politically connected monopoly.
“What we are witnessing now is the attempt to nationalize that same template, moving Nigeria from a republic to a private holding company controlled by a small circle of vested interests.”
Atiku added that introducing such a policy amid worsening insecurity was insensitive: “To introduce such a policy in the middle of a national tragedy, while Nigerians are mourning loved ones lost to the deepening insecurity crisis, is not only insensitive, it is a deliberate act of governance by stealth.
“When a nation is grieving, leadership should show empathy and focus on securing lives, not on expanding private revenue pipelines.”
He also questioned the process that led to Xpress Payments’ engagement, noting that there was no legislative input.
However, the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) has responded to former Vice President Atiku Abubakar’s input, calling it “incorrect, deceptive, and unnecessarily politicizing a purely administrative and technical course.”
According to Aderonke Atoyebi, Technical Assistant on Broadcast Media to the FIRS Government Chairman, the FIRS does not operate as a single-gateway revenue-collection association, and no particular business has been awarded a monopoly over government income.
The company said it uses a multi-channel, multi-payment Answer Service Supplier (PSSP) system that includes platforms such as Quickteller, Remita, Etranzact, Flutterwave, and XpressPay.
“FIRS has partnerships with these PSSPs to make tax costs simpler and extra environmentally friendly for Nigerians nationwide,” according to the press release.
The FIRS also stated that XpressPayment Options Restricted has been designated as a Gathering Agent, allowing taxpayers to use its platforms for FIRS funds, such as firm revenue tax, value-added tax, and withholding tax, through its online platform, XpressPay, or in person at banks via its e-Cashier system.